Happy Snowy Monday!!!!

now I’m a huge supporter of #TeamSummer but this extra sprinkle (or many inches) of snow that Omaha has been getting recently has got me hyped on winter fever. after what seemed like a January that never ceased to end, we are finally moving onto February and my absolute favorite month of the year for too many reasons to count. If you think i loved Christmas, you should see my Valentine’s Day excitement. It’s semi on the verge of super crafty mom who vicariously lives through her children and wants to make all the cards they bring to school for them. (by the way don’t be even slightly surprised if that is me as a mom.) February 2nd was in full snow day swing today and my since day one pal Taylor spent the blizzarding day making some killer pancakes with me and devouring some quick snow ice cream. (if you haven’t made this yet please do) we had a blast today and i sure hope you enjoyed your day off as much as i did!

**snow ice cream recipe because you all NEED to try it for the fun of it***

4 cups of snow (right out of your front yard)

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 cup of milk

1/4 cup sugar

hope you spend the rest of the week warm and enjoying whatever weather you’re in. to help enjoy it a quick Monday mantra: don’t forget to love what you do. and don’t do things you don’t love. now i’m not saying here’s your excuse to not do any of your school work because you don’t love it, but make sure you realize you don’t HAVE to love the schoolwork itself, but i sure bet you’ll love the smart person you’re becoming or the independent leader you can be when you set your mind to things and accomplish your goals. don’t forget to take time to be thankful for all you have and to love the heck out of anything that makes you happy, you deserve to.

have a wonderful week filled with coffee wake up calls and short work/school-days

xoxo, Allison

so this is basically the most exciting thing to happen to me since getting a mini keurig and finding out that i like coffee (two both VERY exciting things) i was nominated by Jordan for the Liebster Blog Award. If you aren’t familiar with the award, it’s basically an award that is meant to support, encourage, and promote new and upcoming bloggers. (how NEATO is that!?) in other words it’s kind of like a virtual pat on the back for all the work put into running a blog.

when nominated for the award i was sent a link to Jordan’s blog in which she listed some questions to be answered, so here you are!!!

What is your current favorite fashion trend?

rainboots. i’m not sure if that’s actually considered a trend but they’re currently ruling my wardrobe choices at the moment. along with anything pink, navy, or polka dotted.

If you had to eat one type of food for the rest of your life what would it be?

for sure mexican food. hit me up with some tamales and queso por favor.

What is your favorite book?

I’m a Harry Potter so not including all 7 books in this answer would be a disgrace. also. hardcore #TeamRavenclaw

Cats or Dogs?

both. golden retrievers are the sweetest pups on the planet. and my little kitten named mittens (too cute right?) is my all time cuddly buddy.

If you could live in a movie, what movie and why?

May i say in my mind i attend Hogwarts so for sure Harry Potter.

What is your favorite hairstyle?
well after chopping the locks yet again, (#TeamShortHair) bedhead tends to be my best bet most of the time. *okay. ****TAMED bedhead. i have pretty naturally wavy hair so picture a baby lion cub in the morning and that would be my hair. so usually running a brush through it is my go-to. along with the always saving lululemon headbands. 

Why did you start your blog?
i started my blog because i loved reading other people’s and loved how they were able to squeeze all the great and good in their life into a computer screen and share it with everyone and i wanted to do the same. i wanted (and still want) to make people smile with words, laugh at my awful jokes, and take a sneak peak into my life all while loving what i do.

what is the motivation behind your blog?
my motivation is seeing the smiles and talking to people about my blog or about their day or little happy things in their life. I LOVE seeing people have that happy spark in them and telling people about mine or having people tell me this blog is theirs is the best feeling in the world, so keep doing you everyone who reads this, you rock!

what social media outlets are you on and what are your usernames?

instagram: @xoxoallisonnicole

What is your favorite nail polish color?
so i’ve weirdly been obsessed with dark nail polish despite my ever pink personality and “after school boy blazer” by Essie is the best navy out there. often referred to among my dance team as “midnight navy”

What is the story behind your blog’s name?
well although i’m better known as “Ally” to my friends and most of my family, my full name is Allison and my middle name is Nicole so there is that part. as for the “xoxo” i like to live life pretending I’m Blair Waldorf/vicariously living through Gossip Girl, so it only seemed appropriate. 

Thanks so much to Jordan for the nomination! it means the world girl!

Check out the blog gal-pals i’ve nominated!!!!

Claire: http://simplydarlingxo.blogspot.com

Madison: http://monogrammedmadison.blogspot.com

Chelsea: http://www.chelseasglossary.com

Jen: http://confessionsofaprepster.blogspot.com

xoxo, Allison

wow, hey friends. it seems like forever since i’ve uploaded a blog post. which sometimes is can be a good thing, considering i’ve had plenty of time to enjoy the real life (i know, there’s a life outside of Pinterest) and spend time with my family and friends instead of worrying about when posts are going up or getting the lighting great on my food when out to eat (okay still guilty of that one) to catch up, here’s what’s been going on in the life of Allison.

{Winter Formal}

being on student board at my school, winter formal has usually meant more of ticket selling and decoration set up than it has dancing for me but this year turned out pretty great. we had a hollywood theme set up complete with a red carpet photo-op and everything. (not to be bias on the decorations set up side of things but it turned out pretty snazzy) I was a little late on asking Dominic to the dance itself and decided to take advantage of it and turn it into a cute, and very tasty formal proposal.

many happy thanks to Mockingbird Cupcakes in Omaha for the lovely treats. 

{school}

(raise your hand if you’ve ever been personally victimized by junior year…)

if you have yet to endure the adventure that is junior year of high school, brace yourself. and i mean that in the best way possible, trust me. it has its ups and downs. if you’re anything like me you’ll spend nights cramming for tests and quizzes, working on endless projects and balancing it all with other activities and also trying to keep yourself sane. throw in wow i probably should get actually decent amounts of sleep and also remember to take time to pet your dog and you’ve got yourself a pretty jam-packed day. (or life.)

i’ll admit its scary and stressful and HARD. everyone can admit that. but admitting it is hard makes it ten times easier. once you’re able to realize you have obstacles its a lot more motivating to work hard and overcome them. so take your time, take a breath, get some sleep, and don’t forget that even though school can be rougher than rough, you shouldn’t forget to make it a wee bit fun. so eat a cupcake after school, listen to music during your studying, or sit down and just write, anything that clears your head will help you stay focused, and extra sparkly 😉

off to work on yet another week filled to the brim with tests, quizzes and dance. hope you enjoyed this quick catch up and can’t wait to talk to you all again soon. don’t forget: breathe. you’ll make it

xoxo, allison